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Pirate on 89.3

Thank you. You've mentioned it a few hundred times. I have a question...can you come up with some positive solutions or will you just bash every radio station you've ever listened to? It's just...old.

rapking said:
PIRATE RADIO RULES !!!!!
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And I'm sure the students who are LEGALLY broadcasting on 89.3 at WTBU really thank Planet Compas and rapking's support of them. Grrrrr....the word I'd like to use to describe them is not FCC-appropriate.

Admittedly, I think WTBU relies a heckuva lot more on its webcast than the old carrier-current AM (640) and radiating-cable FM (89.3) systems. But it's the principle of the thing.

(WTBU Technical Director 1996-98)
 
Pirate stations RULES !!! Legal stations 106.3 and 107.1 in N.H. SUCK !
 
Planet Compas always seems to be adding transmitters . but last time i was on Comm Ave you couldnt hear much of anything on 89.3 TBU or otherwise.

big city is even kinda weak there
 
between the piss weak FM signal, and the fact that iPhones dont have FM recievers anyways, we can assume nobody is listening via that route

i certainly couldnt hear it on a Degen reciever at the bike rack outside the Shaws . i could hear 88.5 Indian music out of dedham on a nearby hill, so its decent

on the web site http://wtbu.bu.edu:1800/status.xsl there are currrently 8 listeners. the most that tuned in at once is 36. proably some hiphop DJ twittered all their friends the stream link one time

Planet compas is actually making use of the frequency, i routinely hear more than 8 people call up in the course of 2 minutes, and we can't assume a large percent of those who have it on call in.

use it or lose it!
 
but last time i was on Comm Ave you couldnt hear much of anything on 89.3 TBU or otherwise.
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You probably wouldn't. As a Part 15 broadcaster the signal is extremely limited (250 uV/m measured at 3 meters from the building, IIRC...legally it's 3 meters from the radiating element but the FCC's known to allow it to be "from the building). Generally speaking, if you can pick it up more than 200ft from the antenna, it's too powerful. And the 89.3 transmitters are only in Warren Towers (700 Comm Ave) and the three West Campus dorms (not on Comm Ave). And in Warren, they don't start until the 5th floor. So in a car, it's usually tough to hear WTBU even when you're parked right out front.

Ditto for the 640AM carrier-current transmitters in Shelton Hall (91 Bay State Rd), Myles Standish Hall (30 BSR) and Danielsen Hall (near Mass Ave & Beacon St). Those signals are so weak they disappear within 10-20ft of the building, but are usually audible inside due to the nature of CC-AM.

And honestly I'm not 100% sure they use the AM/FM transmitters at all anymore. The last few times I've been in Boston I've stopped in front of Warren and listened and heard dead air...but it's always been during holidays, too.

How much power in each?
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This is just an educated guess, but probably less than 100 watts. A unity gain whip with 20 watts on a reasonably clear FM frequency can be solidly audible for over a dozen miles if terrain isn't an issue. The old WFNX translator on 101.3 from the roof of the Hancock Tower was audible out in Wellesley (roughly 20 miles) and that was a lousy 7 watts directional.

Also, transmitters over 100 watts start getting really expensive, really fast.
 
How about Computer RF?

aaronread said:
As a Part 15 broadcaster the signal is extremely limited (250 uV/m measured at 3 meters from the building, IIRC...legally it's 3 meters from the radiating element but the FCC's known to allow it to be "from the building). Generally speaking, if you can pick it up more than 200ft from the antenna, it's too powerful.
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How about RF from computers? I got a new one back in October and it pollutes the MW band, royally: No exaggeration, it is still noted over on the next street, up to and even beyond the length of a football field. And it's not just "digital computer noise" either——I not only have to "shut down" via Windows, I also have to flick off the hard on/off switch on the back of the tower (thereby eliminating all juice to the system). I asked the tech down at the 'puter shop and——while looking at me kind of funny with an amused glint in his eye! P=)——said he thinks it is just a potent power pack.
Even so, if you are able to pick it up on the next street, wouldn't it likely be in violation of FCC emission limits?
 
Even so, if you are able to pick it up on the next street, wouldn't it likely be in violation of FCC emission limits?
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Different frequency band, so different rules. I was talking about FM. But even for AM, the situation you describe is an "unintentional radiator" so it doesn't have to be Type-accepted (or is it Type-certified...I get those mixed up) by the FCC, and thus is not governed by FCC Part 15 emissions limits.
 
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